davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-26
Old Virginia Corn Pones,

Sno. yeh needn't tell me muffin 'bout vee
cakes and yeh pies.
hase ise made 'em fo' de light you ebel
De omlecks, and de salads. and de creams am
mighty fine.
Pears Ike de SUMS a-shinin' on meh old vir
ginia home,
An de yello' roses climbin' roun' de pilIars oh
de po'ch. ~
An de red poppies burnir' in de breeze.
I kin see meh deah young mistiss come run
min down de paf,
viz her pooty cheeks a-glowin' rosy red,
An oe sunsnlne a-kissin' ob her leetle sof
An dancin' on de brown curis oh her head.
kin heah her sweet voice callin', yes, as if 1t
To dat lazy nigger Gawge "whar be-"
kase she say de "Brompton people, am a.
An dey'li want Ant Liza's cawn-pones for
tea
'Clar' TO goodness, dey'd come troopin' TO yo'
Wild How dy, Nanny Liza, how ye be2''
An dey'd split deir sides laffin, as they
frowed de copper cents
To de piacninnies hangin' roun ter see.
o. de singin' and de dancin' when de yello'
An de cawnfiel's jes like silber sea:
Wild ole Nose a scrapin' ob his fiddle to de
bones,
While Cesar tummed de banjo on his knee.
Lori done forget meh ole sef in tinkin' oh
dose times,
An de folks at Mas'r AIec's dat see;
But de mos hab cross de riber TO de shinin'
golden sho,
An de horn'll soon be tootin' up for me.
Den, when meh white souls carried to dat
Dressed, shinin' sho',
An meh own deah Miss Lucy's face / see,
] reckon dat de heabnly food dey eats aroun
de thrones
Gwine ter tas like angel cawn-pones ter me.
Springfield Republican.
The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-26
He Saw the Mine.

Five years ago man named Hob
son, living in a small Ohio town, in
vested heavily in Black Hills mining
stock. He paid the monthly assess
ments regularly for three years. When
the thirty-seventh notice to pay came
it was too much for him, and he took
the money that should have liquidated
it and came out to Deadwood. He
soon discovered that the mine was
nearly or wholly on paper He called at
the office of the president, and after
abusing him some time said:
s.Tve found out that you and your
company are frauds You haven't any
mining machinery, and no mine that
is worth anything at least I'd like
to ask if your company owns as much
as a hole?"
20 yes" replied the president cheer
fully, 1--WE do.
I'D just like to know where it is"
The president arose, showed his hand
part way into one of his pantloons
pockets and said:
That is it right here, colonel. the
breeehes pocket of the president!
There's where we put all your money,
and you'll think il is the deepest hole
In the world if you ever try to get
any Of it out! Good morning, sir!
have letters here from some more Ohio
men, who want to buy stock. and
must attend to them before the mail
closes" DGkG-z .e~ss.
The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-26
Above or Below the Level.

Once descend below the level of the
dozen or half dozen men of genius
who have adorned any bygone era Of
English letters and you feel like one
who has been kicked down lofty
flight of steps. You are on the ground
at once. There seems to be no halting
place between the top of Parnassus
and the flattest flats of commonplace.
From few writers who are above
praise you pass at single bound to Q
multitude who are beneath contempt
1t is in poetry, of course, that the de-
scent is the most marked and painful.
Our minor verse, l will not say of the
last century or of its predecessor
alone, but of any time down to with
in the last twenty years or SO, is, sc
far as the bulk of it is concerned, OF
the poorest possible quality. The
number of good verse writers not
attaining to the rank of poet might
generation ago have been counted on
the finger of one hand. Now their
name isfegion. Hardly year passes
but some half dozen volumes contain
ing, if not poetry, an imitation of il
good enough to deceive all but the
very best elect, are sent forth into the
world to be more or less coldly well
coined by the critical journals and
more or less completely neglected by
the public. And the advance extends
all along the line. The "poet's corner
of the obscure country newspaper is
nowadays graced with far better verse
than was thought good enough for the
keepsakes and albums of our fathers.
Much of it, of course, is initiative,
but so was the verse of the keepsakes
and albums, and our imitators OF
TenDyson and Swinburne turn out
infinitely better copies of their models
than the parodists of Byron, Scott.
and Moore succeeded in producing.
1t would be doing. grave injustice,
however, to our minor poets to repre-
sent them indiscriminately as mere
echoes of the greater bards. One can
without much trouble recall the names
of round dozen of them, and no
doubt little effort of memory might
swell the list to a score, who have
more or less manner of their own,
and show distinct signs of that ''call
to poetize, which, if it does not suffice
alone to mark the presence of poetic
genius, is at any rate never dissociated
from it The number of singers who
'.do but sing because they must, or,
in other words, the number of singers
who, if not all true poets, are all pos
sible claimants to that title, has i'm
mensely increased. Instead, that is
to say, of there being, as was the case,
say fifty years ago, some three or four
men whose right TO the laurel was
universally admitted, but no other
competitor who was so much as ''in
the running" we have now perhaps
not only something like twice the
number of recognized poets of the
first rank, but from dozen to score
of versemakers whom friendly critics
may without positive absurdity affirm
to be poets likewise.-The Contempt
rayu ReCieU
The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-26
Measuring Corn in the Crib.

Many rules are given by which the
number of bushels of corn in q crib NAV
be ascertained. But these are more or
less untrustworthy from the fact that
they assume that two bushels of corn on
the ear are equal to one of shelled corn:
whereas, in point of fact some corn will
not make it, while some will morethan do
So These rules, however, often serve a
convenient purpose, affording q fairly
reasonable estimate, a much closer one
tran may be had from mere measurement
of the eye Following are a few such
rules, any one of which may be employed
as an approximate estimate; the first is
most generally used:
l. Measure the length, breadth and
height of the crib, inside the rail; multi
ply these together and divide by two.
The result is the number of bushels of
shelled corn
2 Level the corn so it is of equal depth
throughout Multiply the length, breadth
and depth together, and this product by
four, and cut off one of the figures to the
right of the product. The remaining fig
ures will represent the number Of bushels
of shelled corn.
8. Multiply length by height and then
by width, add two ciphers to the result,
and divide by 1874 This gives the num-
Der of bushels of ears. Another rule is
TO proceed as above to obtain the cubic
feet, and then assume that one and one
fifth cubic feet make one bushel of ears of
corn.
4. Multiply length by breadth, and the
product by the height, all in inches;
divide this by 2,74S, and the quotient will
be the number of bushels of ears. From
two-thirds to one half of this will be the
number of bushels of sheIled corn, de-
pending on the kind and quality.
The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-26
The Three Great DOgmatists.

It is one of the regrets of my life
that L never saw or heard Carlyle.
Nature, who seems to be fond of trios,
has given us three dogmatists, all OF
whom greatly interested their own
generation, and whose personality, es-
pecially in the case of the first and the
last of the trio, still interests us
johnson, Coleridge and Carlyle. Each
was an oracle in his way, but unfor-
tunately oracles are fallible to their
descendants. The author of Taxa
ton no Tyranny" had wholesale opin-
ions, and pretty harsh ones, about us
Americans, and did not soften them
in expression: ''Sir, they are race
of convicts, and ought to be thankful
for anything we allow them short OF
hanging" We smile complacently
when we read this outburst, which Mr..
Croker calls in question, but which
agrees with his saying in the presence
of Miss Seward, II am willing to
love all mankind except an american.
A generation later comes along Cole
ridge, with his circle of reverential
listeners. He says of johnson that his
fame rests principally upon Boswell,
and that shis boto-s1oa0 manner must
have had good deal to do with the
effect produced" As to Coleridge
himself, his contemporaries hardly
know how to set bounds to their exalta-
ton of his genius Dibdin comes pretty
near going into rhetorical Mysteries in
reporting conversation of Coleridge's
which he listened to: 'sTne auditors
seemed to be wrapt in wonder and de-
light, as one observation more pro-
found, or clothed in more forcible lam
guage, than another fell from his
tongue As / retired homeward l
thought a second johnson had visited
the earth to make wise the sons OF
men," And De Quincy speaks OF him
as ssthe largest and most spacious in
tellect, the subtlest and most eompre-
hensive, in my Judgment that has yet
existed amongst men," One is some
times tempted to wishthat the super
latiye could be abolished. or its use
allowed only to old experts. What are
men to do when they get to heaven,
after having exhausted their vocabu-
larry of admiration on earth?
Now let us come down to Carlyle,
and see what he says of Coleridge.
We need not take those conversational
utterances which called down the
wrath of Mr.. Swinburne, and found
expression in an epigram which vio-
lates all the proprieties of literary Ian
ruage. Look at the full-length por-
trait in the Life of Sterling. Each or
acle denies his predecessor. each ma
gician breaks the wand Of the one who
went before him. There were Ameri-
cans enough ready to swear by Car
lyle until he broke his staff in med
ding with our snti-slaverT conflict
The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-26
Saloon Keepers IN Missouri Ineligi-
Bile for Membership In Ma
sonic Lodges.

The Masonic Grand Lodge of Missou-
ri, at its annual communication, on 18th
inst, took action on the eligibility of
saloon keepers and liquor dealers to be-
come members of the Order Several
months ago the Grand Master issued an
order calling upon the Lodges under his
jurisdiction to expel all members who
were in any way connected with the
liquor traffic. The Naptholi Lodge, of
St. Louis, of which a dozen prominent
liquor men we're members, many of
them being charter members, refused to
obey the order, and the charter of the
Lodge was arrested. The Grand Lodge
sustained the order of the Grand Mas
ter.
The order was based on law passed
by the Grand Lodge number of years
ago, which set forth that hereafter no
saloon-keepers should become members
of the Order. This order is now en-
forced, and it is further decided that
saloon-keepers who were members of the
Order before the adoption of the law
will have to give up their business or
their good standing. The action is Gre
ating great disturbance in the Craft.
The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-26
Tribute of Respect.

Your committee appointed to write
suitable notice on the character of Bro.
|. Moyse, would report as follows:
Bro. Isidore Moyse was Initiated,
Passed and Raised in this Lodge in the
year 1864 He filled various Offices in
the Lodge and always to the acceptance
of his brethren. In 1865 and '66, he
was S. D.; in 1868-69, w. NJ; in 1873,
S. W; in 1876-77, S. D., and in 1880-S1,
S. w. During period of twenty three
years, his life was that of a consistent
Mason. He did grace to whatever Office
he occupied, and his life was an honor
to the Lodge of which he was a mem
Der, and to the Fraternity at large.
If we regard him as a man, a citizen,
and the head of a family, he was true,
loyal and honorable. His friends trusted
him, because he was disinterested in his
motives, and conscientious in his convic-
tions; he was a prudent counsellor, be-
cause he intelligently considered every
question presented for advisement; be
was peaceable and benevolent in his
disposition, because they were in accord
with the noble instincts of his nature;
he was calm amid excitement, because
he knew that human passions must
spend their fury in temporary violence /;
he was fair and just in his dealings, be-
cause he reverenced integrity, and knew
that its immutable law brought its own
high reward; and he was kind, atfec-
tionate and faithful in the hallowed
relations of husband and father, because
every cord of his moral being responded
to the true, the pure and the just.
Such man has passed from our
midst forever. His voice is hushed in
the silence of the grave, and no sympa-
thetic utetrance can respond to our wall
of sorrow. "The silver cord is loosed
and the golden bowl is broken and the
pitcher is broken at the fountain" This
Lodge, his home, and this community
can only record their sad, fearful appre-
citation of the brother that is gone, in
the bitter lamentation, his death is our
irreparable loss. Therefore he it
Resolved, 1st, Reverentially and hum
bly, we bow in fearful submission to
this solemn dispensatiCn of the Divine
Will
I'd, We cherish the memory of our
brother and bear cheerful testimony to
the purity and integrity of his life.
Sd. We extend TO his family the sim
cere coincidence of oUr hearts in their
sudden bereavement.
4th. That chair to the right of the
w. NJ be draped in mourning for the
period of three months.
9Th. That copy of this report be fur
nished the Summit Sentinel for publica
ton, copy be sent to the Grand Lodge
and that copy of this report be spread
upon our minutes.
Respectfully submitted,
CHAs. III. OTKEN,
GEO. T. GRACEY,
Sol. BLOCH.
Committee.
This report was adopted by the Sum
| nit Lodge, No. 231, F. & A. NJ, Sep
| tember "a, 1887.
The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-26
The Population of China.

The population of China has been
matter of much discussion and doubt
among foreigners. 1t has been claimed
that the figures of the Chinese census
are much too high. There is, how
ever, no known reasons why the Off
cials of that country should exagger-
ate their population, says the San
Francisco Chronicle There is no dis
putting the fact that the means exist
ing there for arriving at an accurate
census are most ample. Every house
must have a list of its inmates hung at
its door, and a violation of this is
visited with punishment. The impe-
rial and local taxes are based in part
upon the numbers of the people. The
most difficult task imposed upon the
provincial rulers is the furnishing the
amounts of money demanded by the
imperial government, and any excess
i've census return would only increase
that difficulty. 1t is only a fair pre-
sumption that if the census returns are
incorrect they are too small rather
than too large.
The census of 1875 gave the popula-
ton of the empire 435, 900, 900. Since
that time Tonquin has been lost with
has been reconquered. Among no
people with any degree of civilization
is the birth rate so high as in China,
and, although the death rate in the
denselv crowded districts is very great,
there is every reason to presume there
are now 450, 100000 people in China.
These figures represent more than
one-third of the population of the
globe. 1t is greater population than
that of all Europe, and three times the
number of people on the western con-
tinent. Even at these enormous fig
ures the average number of people to
the square mile for the whole empire
eighty-five-is not so high as in some
parts of the United States.
In the great mountain ranges, on
the arid plains of Kashgaria and the
snowy regions of Mongolia and Man
churia, the population is sparse, but
in the eight central provinces of China
proper-in the fertile, alluvial soils
the population is denser and more
crowded than in any other region of
equal extent on earth. The villages
there are almost beyond enumeration.
and the numbers of walled cities in
credible to those who have not seen
them. In the two Kiang provinces at
the mouth of the Yangtz river, with
an area of 1000 square miles, the pop
ulation in 1875 was 1900, 900, and
there were 125 walled cities.
The census of 1875 was taken when
the richest portions of these two prov
inces had been devasted and depopu-
lated by the TAPPING rebellion. Since
that time there has been a great in
pouring of people from other regions
of the empire, especially from those
districts where the famine of 1873 pre-
vailed. The natural increase of popu-
lation has also been very great, and 1t
would be safe to say that these $4,000
square miles have now more than
eighty million people.
The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-26
Directions for Saving Garden seea..

Seeds Of all kinds, says American Aori-
culturlst, should be fully ripe when
gathered, but it is also important to bar-
vest them as soon as they are ripe. For
keeping small quantities of seeds paner
pags are preferable to cloth, as they afford
oetter protection against moisture and
insects. Always mark each package with
the name Of the seed contained in il and
the year in which it grew. Cold does NOT
iihJure the vitality of seeds. but moisture
ls detrimental to all kinds
Melon, cucumber, squash and pumpkin
seeds should be taken only from ripe. per-
lect shaped specimens. In q small wnv
the seeds may be simply taken out. spread
on plates or tins and dried. Larger auan
htles have 10 be washed before driving. to
remove the slime that adheres to them
When the seeds are thoroughly dried tie
them in bags, and keep in a dry place
secure from mice or rats
Beets, parsnips, turnips, carrots, onions.
cauli1ower and cabbage will not produce
seed until the second year. Set out in
early May strong, well matured plants of
last seasons crop. When the seed is ripe
cut the stalks and put under cover to dry.
then beat out the seeds and tie in paper
bags
The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-26
Boiling Coffee.

Whether coffee shall be boiled or not
will probably be always a question.
Many think it has raw taste if not
boiled; others contend that, in boiling,
much of the aroma is lost. Boiling
makes the mixture roily, and it must
stand long enough to let the grounds
settle and the liquid become clear.
Some albuminous material will help to
clear il. Fish skin, isInglass, cold
water, and eggs are used for this pur-
pose. Eggs give it flavor and body,
and, no doubt, improve an inferior
quality of coffee; but they increase the
cost of the beverage, as, aside from
their own cost, they clog the grounds,
thus making larger amount of coffee
necessary to obtain the desired
strength. But if coffee must be boiled.
let it be boiled in closely-eovered
vessel with thimble or cork in the
spout, as, if left uncovered, the vola-
tile oil, which forms the fragrant aro-
ma, is dissipated; and it should never
boil more than five minutes, as longer
boiling extracts the tannic acid. There
is a widely prevalent, but erroneous
notion that long boiling extracts more
of the strength and color, and is, there
fore, more economical; but strength
and color thus gained are obtained at
the expense of flavor and wholesome
ness. Mary J. Lincoln IN Good House
keeDinQ.
The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-26
A Favorite Chinese Sport.

sWe have cricket fighting with little
black bugs" said a Chinaman to
Cincinnati Enquirer reporter IT
rare sport. The bugs are caught IN
hills by pouring water in their holes
or putting a fruit called dragons eye
in front of the hole. The best fighters
are those that chirp the loudest Ihey
e Keep them in earthen pots with little
water and some mold. and feed them
ON two kinds of fish, man-yu and knt-
WI. They are fed on honey to give
them strength, and for two hours the
female is put in with the male
..How do you fight them? -,
..In a pit or tub called lip, and they
are matched according to size and and
color. They bet very heavy on them
sometimes. and when ,,ss cricket Ssaas mas
won many victories he is called Shon,
lin and if it dies they put it in smail
silver coffin and bury it. Its owner
thinks this brings good luck ana thaI
GOOD fighting crickets will be found IN
the neighborhood where the cricket Is
huried.
The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-26
Curtin's Correction.

Gov. Curtin was sitting in the Riggs
house the other day. when a tall, gray
mustached gentleman came in and
said to him confidentially: Governor,
/ am the bearer of message from the
governor of North Carolina, who asked
me 10 transmit to you an invitation to
come up to Chamberlin's with the ad-
dition of the famous remark that his
predecessor made to the governor of
South Carolina some years ago.
Thanks, said the governor rising
slowly, .'but must correct his history.
Two noble men have had injustice
done them by the repetition of that
remark about the long time between
drinks. 1t wasn't the governor who
said it, but the bishop, and you ought
to give the bishop credit in future. -
PEf[dde{DtSu Press
The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-26
Management of Geese.

Geese are far harder and much easier
TO rear than turkeys, and, if fat, bring al
ways a good price in the market. In q
word, these fowls pay very well indeed
for keeping, and the farmer will, as a
rule, find it worth his while to have few
of them in the autumn when his grain
crops are off the land.
OF the various breeds of geese the Tou-
louise is the best known, and with the
Embden, are the chief ones for CONNER
cial purposes. The Toulouse is also called
the gray goose, because its plumage is of
that color, while the Embden is called the
white goose, it's plumage being white
throughout. Notwithstanding the fact
that the feathers of Embden geese bring q
higher price than do those of the Tou-
louise, the latter, as has been intimated, is
the more popular breed The Toulouse
are good layers and their flesh is tender,
juicy and well favored. They often reach
an enormous weight. Their heavy bodies
fit them for close cooping and they are
easily confined by low fence and will
thrive on less water than other varieties
of geese.
The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-26
FIa. 2.-pARREp WIRE oN TREES.

FIG. 2.-BARBED WIRE ON TREES.
But, says the authority quoted from, II
stones are not to be had and the trees are
not further apart than the length OF fence
boards, the fence may be rendered visible
by mailing board between the two upper
wires, as shown in Fig 2. There is stln
another way to prevent harm to animals
which run in adjacent fields. This is 10
cut or plow small open ditch on eacn
side and raise bank of earth between
them and under the line of the fence
But this cannot be adopted for trees, as
the roots will prevent the plowing OF the
burrows. When posts are set it Is an easy
and efficient way to protect animals, as
they are held in check by the bitches ana
the bank of earth; and it obviates the use
Of the lower wire, and the posts peing
held by the bank need not be set SO ueep.
When it is desired to run barDeo renee
through woods or other plantation wnere
the trees are not in straight line care
must be taken to have each tree stand IN
the obtuse angle which it forms, the wire
being always placed on the outside where
IT will be firmly held in position
The great convenience and economy Oh
using growing trees instead OF posts Is an
additional inducement for planting mar
row timber belts at the boundaries Oh tne
princiDal fields